Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) Shares Sold by Rockefeller Capital Management L.P.

Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. decreased its holdings in Norfolk Southern Co. (NYSE:NSC) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 45,713 shares of the railroad operator’s stock after selling 232 shares during the quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P.’s holdings in Norfolk Southern were worth $10,729,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in NSC. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 255,200 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $63,417,000 after buying an additional 8,844 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 4,694,573 shares of the railroad operator’s stock valued at $1,098,472,000 after acquiring an additional 113,648 shares during the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC acquired a new position in Norfolk Southern during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,796,000. Grandview Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Norfolk Southern in the 4th quarter worth $918,000. Finally, Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC raised its holdings in shares of Norfolk Southern by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 5,678 shares of the railroad operator’s stock worth $1,333,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.10% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Gilbert H. Lamphere bought 607 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $259.86 per share, for a total transaction of $157,735.02. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 2,487 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $646,271.82. The trade was a 32.29 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on NSC. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of Norfolk Southern from $292.00 to $272.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $305.00 to $284.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $285.00 price target on shares of Norfolk Southern in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Norfolk Southern from $284.00 to $286.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Loop Capital lowered Norfolk Southern from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $289.00 to $256.00 in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Norfolk Southern presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $268.79.

Norfolk Southern Stock Performance

Shares of NSC stock opened at $217.76 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $235.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $246.36. The company has a market capitalization of $53.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16. Norfolk Southern Co. has a 1-year low of $201.63 and a 1-year high of $277.60.

Norfolk Southern (NYSE:NSC) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The railroad operator reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.97 by $0.07. Norfolk Southern had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 20.04%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Norfolk Southern Co. will post 13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Norfolk Southern Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a $1.35 dividend. This represents a $5.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. Norfolk Southern’s dividend payout ratio is 46.71%.

Norfolk Southern Company Profile

Norfolk Southern Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the rail transportation of raw materials, intermediate products, and finished goods in the United States. The company transports agriculture, forest, and consumer products comprising soybeans, wheat, corn, fertilizers, livestock and poultry feed, food products, food oils, flour, sweeteners, ethanol, lumber and wood products, pulp board and paper products, wood fibers, wood pulp, beverages, and canned goods; chemicals consist of sulfur and related chemicals, petroleum products comprising crude oil, chlorine and bleaching compounds, plastics, rubber, industrial chemicals, chemical wastes, sand, and natural gas liquids; metals and construction materials, such as steel, aluminum products, machinery, scrap metals, cement, aggregates, minerals, clay, transportation equipment, and military-related products; and automotive, including finished motor vehicles and automotive parts, as well as coal.